Ruin (The Rhodes 1)

Oh. God. I’ve really been kidnapped by a serial killer.

Assuming is entirely different from witnessing the act. It was too visceral. Too real. Too...twisted.

Aaron’s monstrous nature is undeniable. I don’t know why I had the foolish hope that my prejudices would be wrong.

I had to be punched in the face— literally— to see his raw ugly nature.

My attention turns back to Tristan as he releases a long breath. “Fine. I’ll take care of it in my own way.”

“And Celeste?” The polite man asks Aaron, his voice not so polite anymore. “Why didn’t you let Xan capture her when you had the chance? You were playing one of your sick games with her, weren’t you?”

Something ticks in Aaron’s jaw, but he ignores him, stands, and marches to the men lined by the door. Kane and the beaten up man stand in front of them all, as if he didn’t just serve as Aaron’s punching bag. All the other men line behind them.

Aaron’s voice is deep and commanding, leaving no place for negotiations. “Here’s how it goes, from now on, no one but Dylan is allowed inside the estate. Tristan and I will choose our security team and the rest is to stay within the perimeter of the estate until it’s decided otherwise. If you meet a strange woman and decide it’s a good idea to fuck her, that’s Celeste. If any of you actually fuck her, I will finish your lives with my own hands.” He pauses, his merciless gaze roam the little army. “Is that understood?”

I’m almost deafened by the thundering, “Yes, Sir!”

“Isn’t that too much?” Tristan asks from behind him.

Aaron throws a glance his way. “You don’t know Celeste as much as I do.”

Just who the hell is this Celeste that someone like Aaron gives her such importance?

Aaron cocks his head to a large double door. “Now, leave.” The men in black exit the hall in monotonic ordered military style. He turns to Tristan and Dylan. “Which part of leave do you not understand?”

Dylan settles on a chair and crosses his legs at the ankles. “How did Hampton got the password to your quarters?”

Tristan sits next to Dylan and says, “There has been a hack in the system.”

Although Aaron’s features remain expressionless, there’s a cloud that cloaks his features when he mutters, “Celeste must’ve helped him. A way to get back at me since I refused to be her partner again.”

Shivering takes hold of me. No idea whether it’s because of the cold or what I’ve witnessed. My attention drifts away from the conversation, concentrating on my shivering.

What’s my fault in all this? Why does this have to happen to me?

I’m acutely aware of the door clicking open then close, but I don’t lift my head until a soft material is thrown on my chest.

“Unless you wish for pneumonia, dry yourself.” Aaron’s expression is neutral, there’s nothing of the rage he unleashed on the men not so long ago. He fetches the remote from my icy fingers, and shuts the security feed off. “This is the last time I will forgive snooping into my affairs.”

Fire replaces my coldness, and I jump to my feet. I stomp to Aaron and point a tense finger at his chest. “It’s all because of you! You’re the reason I’m in this...this...” I point to myself, heat flooding my cheeks, “Mess! If I didn’t meet you, if you didn’t stalk me, I wouldn’t have that atrocious fantasy. If you didn’t take me, none of this would’ve happened. If...” my voice croaks and a loud sob escapes my lips, “If ...” Words scratch in my throat, yearning to get out. My mouth opens, but only sobs erupt through.

A firm hand encircles my back. His palm warm against my bare skin.

My body tingles, but my mind orders me to shove him away. I plant both my hands on his hard chest to obey my mind. Yet, my fingers curl in the soft material of his shirt, clutching it so tight, my fingertips sting.

“I am sorry, Mae.” Aaron’s soft voice comes like a little breeze, its unusual sleekness soothes the chaos.

I will never forgive him.

My mind knows that I won’t. Yet, my body, my stupid trait

orous body, snuggles into his embrace, refusing to let go.

I’m officially going mad.

Chapter Seventeen

Aaron